A rundown of The Crown cast - from the astonishing portrayals of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip throughout the ages, to the supporting cast members bringing the monarchy to life on screen.
There has been a surge of interest in Netflix smash hit The Crown, knowing that it is the final installment of the series following the sad death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll.
The critically acclaimed series is expected to return to the streamer’s top 10, as the public regains intrigue surrounding the life of the Monarch through the ages - as portrayed so carefully in the historical drama. Each series covers approximately 10 years in the life and challenges of the Royal family, with cast members changing to portray the appropriate age of each member. Here is your guide to who played Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip for each series, and a reminder of the cast members supporting them so brilliantly.
Viewers anxious for the latest instalment of the series don’t have long to wait, with Netflix dropping part one of the series on Thursday 16th November 2023, which will later see Prince William as he deals with his 'mother's death'.
We've revealed details of where The Crown was filmed season by season. Plus, whether The Queen watched The Crown, plus other Royal Family members who have allegedly tuned into the show.
The Crown Cast: Season 1 to season 6 actors
Who played Queen Elizabeth in seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown?
British actress Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth in The Crown seasons 1 and 2. The 38-year-old was best known for the role of Anne Boleyn in the 2015 BBC miniseries Wolf Hall - being nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for the portrayal.
The role of Queen Elizabeth catapulted her to international stardom. Speaking to Vogue about landing the part of the esteemed and longest serving Monarch, Foy described how her feelings were mixed. Having auditioned while visibly pregnant, the actress said "I was really, really pleased. I was pregnant at the time, so it was sort of tainted. My response to it wasn’t 'Woo-hoo!' It was more like, 'Oh, my God, I’m going to have a baby three months before rehearsing this. I’m not sure what state I’m going to be in.'"
Having to thoroughly research the life of the Monarch in preparation for the role, Foy also spoke about the one thing that surprised her the most during the research process - how she actually came to be on the throne.
Foy said: "I think it was the fact that I never really considered how she came to the throne at all. I just always accepted the fact that she had always been there my entire life. So it’s that thing where you have to take a step back and think, Okay, let’s have a little look, and then you start realizing all the things you never really considered. She was a 25-year-old woman with two children and a husband, and she thought she had another 25 to 30 years to go.
Foy concluded: "I think it’s easy to put [the royal family] on a pedestal, or lambast them and think they’ve got loads of money and houses. It’s easy to do that and turn them into something disconnected, but it’s not easy to look at them on a human level because it takes a huge amount of compassion and sympathy. But I think it’s worth doing, because I think they’re an amazing family".
Who played Prince Philip in seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown?
British actor Matt Smith played Prince Phillip in the first two seasons of The Crown. The 39-year-old came to public attention as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running Doctor Who series.
Smith spoke to Esquire about the sacrifices Prince Philip made when he became a member of the British Royal family. He said "He gave up everything, literally everything, that made him a man. He had such a wonderful naval career, and for that to be taken away from him, and then to have to walk two steps behind his wife in public for the whole of his life - but he has a lion’s pride about him, so there were a lot of very interesting conflicts to play".
Smith continued to say he saw the Prince as "an alien in the royal house". By this, he was alluding to Philip's heritage - being born to the Greek and Danish monarchies. He spoke of the alleged struggles the Prince experienced, under constant scrutiny and adapting to British Royal Family customs. Smith felt this made Philip a sympathetic and relatable figure to audiences of The Crown.
The Crown seasons 1 and 2: Supporting cast members
- Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret
- Jared Harris as King George VI
- John Lithgow as Winston Churchill
- Eileen Atkins as Queen Mary
- Jeremy Northam as Anthony Eden
- Victoria Hamilton as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
- Ben Miles as Group Captain Peter Townsend,
- Greg Wise as Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
- Alex Jennings as The Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII
- Lia Williams as Wallis, Duchess of Windsor
- Anton Lesser as Harold Macmillan
- Matthew Goode as Tony Armstrong-Jones
- John Heffernan as Lord Altrincham
- Gemma Whelan as Patricia Campbell
- Paul Sparks as Billy Graham
- Michael C. Hall as John F. Kennedy
- Jodi Balfour as Jackie Kennedy
- Burghart Klaußner as Dr Kurt Hahn
- Finn Elliot as school-aged Prince Philip
- Julian Baring as school-aged Prince Charles
Who played Queen Elizabeth in seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown?
British actress Olivia Colman played Queen Elizabeth in The Crown season 3 and season 4. The 48-year-old has a long and distinguished acting career, and was already known for a range of both comedy and dramatic roles in film and television prior to being cast in The Crown.
She has been the recipient of numerous awards and nominations, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, 3 British Academy Television Awards, and 3 Golden Globe awards.
Colman spoke to Insider at the time of her portrayal of the Queen, discussing the difficulties of the role. She said the role was tricky because "behind closed doors, we don't know what she's like". She continued to speak of her relief at leaving the role behind, adding "But definitely … the hardest part I've done is someone who's real. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm quite pleased now to be able to move on to something else".
On the volatile nature of the acting profession, Colman did speak of appreciation for the two years of employment the show gave her. She added this security was "a lovely feeling because I still get the fear that it's not going to happen again."
Who played Prince Philip in seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown?
British actor Tobias Menzies played Prince Philip in seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown. The 48-year-old was known to audiences before his appearance on The Crown, for the roles of Frank and Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall in STARZ's Outlander series, Brutus in HBO's Rome, and Edmure Tully in HBO's Game of Thrones.
His theatre career is also extensive, and diverse. Speaking to The Guardian, Menzies spoke of Philip’s “contradictory nature” that fascinated him and drew him to the role.
He went on to say: "There’s a lot of different forces at play within him. He was someone who was very wary to show his feelings, and yet, atmospherically, he’s not a cool presence, he’s quite hot … He’s abrasive. He’s challenging. He’s funny. But there’s an energy about it: it’s not calm, it’s not gentle. And those things seem to be kind of warring inside him. And so, actually, for someone who doesn’t want to give much away, he often feels like he is giving quite a lot of way".
Speaking of his admiration for the Prince, he said "For someone who clearly was not comfortable with [the role], he managed to do it with quite a high degree of dignity and patience".
He concluded "He was partly involved in the transition from an aristocratic family to one that was marked by largely middle-class values. He helped to open it up and, to a certain degree, demystify a lot of the stuff that was going on, and modernise it".
The Crown season 3 & 4: Supporting cast
- Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
- Ben Daniels as Tony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon
- Jason Watkins as Prime Minister Harold Wilson
- Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher (season 4 only)
- Marion Bailey (Obsession) as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
- Erin Doherty as Princess Anne
- Charles Dance as Louis Mountbatten
- Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles
- Emma Corrin as Princess Diana (season 4 only)
- Clancy Brown as Lyndon B. Johnson
- Jane Lapotaire as Princess Alice
- Mark Lewis Jones as Edward Millward
- Tim McMullan as Robin Woods
- Derek Jacobi as The Duke of Windsor
- Geraldine Chaplin as The Duchess of Windsor
- Michael Maloney as Prime Minister Edward Heath
- Emerald Fennell as Camilla Parker Bowles (nee Shand)
- Andrew Buchan as Andrew Parker Bowles
- Harry Treadaway as Roddy Llewellyn
Who will play Queen Elizabeth in season 5 of The Crown?
British actor Imelda Staunton CBE will play Queen Elizabeth in season 5 of The Crown. The 66-year-old is another in a line of distinguished actresses to land a role in The Crown. She began her theatre career in 1976, and has appeared extensively across theatre, film, and television since.
She has won 4 Laurence Olivier Awards, and nominated for 13 more. She is best known to television audiences for the role of Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter films The Order of the Phoenix and The Deathly Hallows - Part 1.
People reported that Staunton had spoken of the "extra challenge" that comes with playing a more contemporary version of the Queen. She said "I think my sort of extra challenge, as if I needed it, is that I’m now doing the Queen that we’re a little more familiar with."
She continued: "With Claire Foy, it was almost history and now I’m playing one that people could say 'she doesn’t do that,' 'she’s not like that,' and that’s my personal bête noire".
On whether the show should add a fictional disclaimer at the beginning, Staunton had the view "I think that is up to producers and directors. This isn’t verbatim; this isn’t taken from diaries. You’ve got to use your imagination, and I’d like to allow the audience a bit of intelligence. You can’t know that’s what Margaret and Elizabeth were talking about". Netflix has since reported they have no plans to add a disclaimer.
Who will play Prince Philip in season 5 of The Crown?
Sir Jonathan Pryce CBE will play Prince Philip in season 5 of The Crown. The 75-year-old is also well known for his stage, television, and film performances. He is the recipient of 2 Tony Awards and 2 Laurence Olivier Awards, and was knighted in 2021 for his services to drama.
Audiences will recognise him as Thomas Wolsey in the BBC series Wolf Hall, and as the High Sparrow in HBO's Game of Thrones. He was also nominated for an Oscar for his role as Pope Francis in The Two Popes alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins.
People reported that Pryce spoke of his delight at taking on the role. He said "I am delighted to be working with Netflix again. The positive experience I had making The Two Popes has given me the confidence to tackle the daunting prospect of portraying Prince Philip".
He continued to heap praise on the co-stars he'd be working with on the show, adding "To be doing so with Peter Morgan in the company of Imelda [Staunton] and Lesley [Manville] will be a joy".
The Crown season 5: Supporting cast
- Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
- Jonny Lee Miller as John Major
- Dominic West as Prince Charles
- Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales
- Flora Montgomery as Norma Major
- Marcia Warren as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
- Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles
- Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne
- James Murray as Prince Andrew
- Emma Laird Craig as Sarah, Duchess of York
- Sam Woolf as Prince Edward
- Andrew Havill as Robert Fellowes
- Natascha McElhone as Penelope Knatchbull
- Senan West as Prince William of Wales
- Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed
- Salim Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed
- Amir El-Masry as young Mohamed Al-Fayed
- Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair
- Prasanna Puwanarajah as Martin Bashir
- Timothy Dalton as Peter Townsend
- Humayun Saeed as Dr. Hasnat Khan
- Lydia Leonard as Cherie Blair
- Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Monique Ritz
Who will play Queen Elizabeth in Season 6 of The Crown?
Imelda Staunton returns to play Queen Elizabeth II in Season 6 of The Crown. Speaking about reprising the role, Imelda said, “I've been living with her for a long time so if anything, I felt more comfortable this time. I love her stillness and her ability to not be thrown by everything that must have constantly — throughout her whole life — gone on around her.”
Imelda has previously been in Vera Drake, the Harry Potter films, My Family and Other Animals to name but a few.
Who will play Prince Philip in Season 6 of The Crown?
Jonathan Pryce will play Prince Philip in Season 6 of The Crown. He is reprising his role as the Duke of Edinburgh and, as Imelda called him, Queen Elizabeth II’s “strength and stay.” “It’s a great screen relationship, isn’t it?” she said. “The woman and the man just there — and particularly for Philip, who’s such an alpha male — to be two steps behind.”
Meanwhile, Jonathan, who is known for starring in Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies, and the Pirates of the Caribbean films to name but a few, said he was looking forward to the relationship building between Prince William and his grandfather Prince Philip in the final season. “There’s a kind of handing over from his early mentorship of Diana to become a mentor and a comforter to William,” said Jonathan.
The Crown Season 6: supporting cast
- Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret
- Dominic West as Prince Charles
- Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana
- Rufus Kampa as Prince William
- Fflyn Edwards as Prince Harry
- Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles
- Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne
- Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed
- Salim Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed
- Luther Ford as Prince Harry (one episode)
- Ed McVey as Prince William (one episode)
- Philip Cumbus as Charles Spencer
- Sebastian Blunt as Prince Edward
- Emma Laird Craig as Sarah Ferguson
- Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair
- Andrew Havill as Robert Fellowes
- James Murray as Prince Andrew
- Theo Fraser Steele as Timothy Lawrence
- Ben Lloyd-Hughes as Mark Bolland
- Beau Gadsdon as a young Princess Margaret
- Hanna Alstrom as Heini Wathen
- Harry Anton as Tervor Rees-Jones
- Alex Blake as Stephen Lamport
- Lydia Leonard as Cherie Blair
- Martin Turner as Lord Chamberlain
- Adam Damerell as Alastair Campbell
- Semo Salha as Salah Fayed
- Kate Cook as Susie Orbach
- Erin Richards as Kelly Fisher
- Thomas Nelstrop as Jonathan Powell
- Yoann Blanc as Henri Paul (one episode)
- Ben Lambert as Ben Murrell (one episode)
- Enzo Cilenti as Mario Brenna (one episode)
- Polly Frame as Sally Morgan (one episode)
- Jana Quiles as Jasmine Fayed (one episode)
- Kian Noam Omurca as Karim Fayed (one episode)
- Rai Masiques as Omar Fayed (one episode)
- Irene Barbero as Camilla Fayed (one episode)
- Lady Carlson as the Queen’s dresser (one episode)
- Justine Mitchell as Sarah McCorquodale (one episode)
- Annette Flynn as Jane Fellowes (one episode)
- Dimitri Jeannest as French doctor
- Laurent C. Lucas as Jacques Chirac
- Emily Tebbutt as Princess of Holland
- Leah Perkins as Sarah Chatto
- Christophe Guybet as Jean-Pierre Chevenement
- Eric Colvin as Michael Jay
- Kristin Murray as Edith Muir
- Sandra Hale as Rita Rogers
- Forbes Masson as Duncan Muir
- James Aldred as Ritz Walter
- Charlotte Melia as Anji Hunter
- Paul Gorostidi as Philippe Dourneau
- Mohammed Kamel as Ali Fayed
- Jamie Parker as Robin Janvrin
- Richard Rycroft as Archbishop Carey
- Lee Otway as Kez Wingfield
- Ed Sayer as Equerry
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